Home & Garden Show sees more interest in energy efficiency

From a story by Jenny Marland on WBAY-TV (Green Bay):

This year, vendors at the WBAY Home & Garden Show seem to be catering to consumers interested in improving energy efficiency. Homeowners are saving on utility costs by installing energy-efficient appliances.

Now there are incentives for homeowners to buy into the trend, making those looking to make home improvements this year will save even more green ... going green.

"There's a crash reward of up to 25 percent that's available to the homeowner who's purchasing this solar domestic water heater," Richard Larson for GreenSky Energetics pointed.

Homeowners are privy to a slew of tax breaks when they resort to energy-efficient improvements.

"Something new is a $1,500 tax credit from the government if your windows meet the criteria that they set," Carl Hardtke, the owner of Windows of Wisconsin, said.

"You get a 30 percent tax credit with a geothermal system, and that's huge when an average system is around $20,000," Mike Stevens from Air Quality Specialists, Inc., said.

These are all incentives that enable consumers to pay less for energy-efficient products and help the environment.